My Rejex order just came in last week and I'm going to be putting it on shortly. I want my car to shine!!!

But then last weekend, something pretty crappy happened. Behind my parking spot at home, there is a brick wall and behind that is a storm drain canal. Well, apparently some kids were going through it and though it would be fun to throw rocks over the wall at all the cars. I came out to see rocks all over the hood of my car with scratches on it, the fenders and even small chips in the windshield. Luckily they're mostly scratches and they aren't huge. There was only one small dent. I'm not going to take it to the body shop since it would cost a small fortune to fix and they aren't bothering me much now.

So I need to go to the dealer to get some touch-up paint. Are there any techniques to applying the touch-up paint so it looks better than the scratch and not worse?

If I don't want to do the touch-up paint, can I just put the Rejex on the car as is and will it seal up the scratch so the metal won't rust?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

What color is your car? If it is a light metallic, touch-up paint will never look very good. The problem is the orientation of the metal flakes. They will not match, no matter what you do. It will prevent rust, however, which would be worse.

A re-spray of the hood might be a better option if there is a lot of damage.

 

Darn, it is the light silver color. Thanks for letting me know that before I did anything stupid. Luckily they're really not that bad, nobody has even noticed them yet.

There's 2 on the hood, one on each fender, and then the windshield chips. Which those are right in the middle, so they don't affect my field of vision or the passengers.

It's really just more of a bummer than anything. I haven't even had the car 6 months and it's the first new car I've ever bought. Such as life!

 

What about insurance? That's why you pay it. Those windshield chips will probably lead to cracks down the road.

 

That is a bummer. I can somewhat relate, as my first new car (a HCHII) was totaled by a careless red light runner.

Those kids probably live in your neighborhood. If you keep an eye out you might be able to figure out who they are and where they live, and then make their parents pay for the damage. Throwing rocks at cars? Sigh.... it's just uncalled for.

 

Turn in on comprehensive insurance. Rates can't go up. The rejex is pretty good. Very similar to rain-x wax. A bit more trouble to remove. It does not create shine. Do all that first. Mine has been on about a month. It does make tree sap removal and general washing easier.

 

Sorry to hear about the vandalism.

A lot of times, your local Dent Doctor (or similar) can do an amazing job with minor dents and scratches. For the windshield, your insurance will often pay for chip repair with no deductable, in hopes of fixing it before it turns into a crack and requires a windshield replacement.

 

The super metallic paint works well from the dealer for chips. I keep my car waxed, and a neighborhood cat apparently couldn't get traction using two of his razor sharp claws in my paint on the front of the hood.

Result is two razor deep 3 inch long scratch marks. I wouldn't think of using the touch up paint, but I might try a touch up stick.

If I were more concerned about it I'd take it to a bodyshop and have it buffed.

-Steve

 

If they aren't bad enough to be noticed, touching them up will not make them WORSE, just don't expect an invisible result. Use a little, you can always add more...it's hard to remove too much.

I generally sand the spot with 600 grit a bit, add the paint in a few coats, and then sand with 600, 1000, 1500 and 2000, followed by rubbing compound, a moderate polish and then a fine polish. That's the best you can do without spraying the whole panel, which will give the best result, of course.

 

Double post, weird.